Adventure of the Seas Review
Returning to AoS 10 years later - Still Great!
Rating by category
Additional details
My husband and I are both 50-something and experienced cruisers. We love the southern Caribbean because we prefer the port-intensive itineraries and variety of culture and topography represented. We tend to prefer the Radiance Class ships, so this was a bit of a departure for us.
Our sailing was the first 7-day cruise following the January dry dock. The maiden voyage post-dry dock was a five day repositioning cruise. Our itinerary included St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Sea Day, Curacao, Aruba, Sea Day. We booked the cruise nearly two years in advance and watched the hurricane recovery efforts closely in order to determine whether or not we needed to change our vacation, but ultimately decided to proceed as planned. This was my second cruise on Adventure of the Seas, the first being in 2008. Although we prefer the Radiance Class ships for the outdoor dining at the Windjammer, the abundance of glass and the more intimate event venues, we really enjoyed the Royal Promenade, particularly the Duck and Dog. We took advantage of the water slides and enjoyed being spectators at the FlowRider. (Neither of those features existed on the Adventure in 2008.)
Service on the ship was excellent. We had trouble with our A/C upon boarding, but it was fixed immediately. The new carpets were nice and we liked the new furniture in the MDR. The washing stations at the Windjammer were a GREAT idea. Oh...and the Vidalia Onion Tart is back on the menu in the MDR! Casey Pelter was a great cruise director, who was also the CD on a Voyager cruise I took five or six years ago. Casey left the ship after our cruise to pursue another opportunity. The captain of the ship, Captain Thomas from Puerto Rico, was unusually young for a captain. He was high energy and really connected with the passengers.
Cabin Review
Oceanview Stateroom
We tend to cruise on the lower decks. In addition to the cost savings, we like being able to run up the stairs to our cabin when returning from an island. It's also nice being close to the MDR and Promenade deck. That said, we would avoid decks lower than three in the future. We were in 2608, mid-ship on Deck 2. The noise from the deck below was an issue. The gangway was extended from just below our window (loud). There was a lot of engine noise - thrusters or some such - as we got close to each port. The final night, there was all sorts of banging around, we assume the result of the luggage being transferred below.
Port Reviews
San Juan
We over-nighted at Tres Palmas Inn, a small bed and breakfast in the Condado area. Basic accommodations, with exceptional outdoor space. We'd stay there again.
St. Thomas
We'd been excited to read reviews of Royal Caribbean's "St. John on Your Own" excursion, which provided transportation between St. John and St. Thomas, allowing guests to spend four hours exploring St. John on their own. It eliminated some of the stress and uncertainty of doing the same thing using the Red Hook ferry. Alas, I learned from the immensely helpful folks on these boards that RCL had altered the excursion so it allowed guests only TWO hours on the island of St. John. That's not enough time to do anything!! We cancelled the excursion and took a cab to the ferry. It all went as planned, no issues, and we had four hours on St. John to explore.
Damage was clearly evident on St. John. We bypassed Trunk Bay and took a taxi to see the Annaberg ruins. Much of the ruins had been roped off as unsafe following the storm damage, which was a little disappointing. But the views from the former sugar mill were as amazing as ever. After Annaberg, we walked just down the road to the entrance to the Leinster Bay Trail. The sign was missing due to the storms, but we located it and made our way down the trail. It was an easy hike, with a few side-steps to avoid beached ships along the way. We did some snorkeling at Waterlemon Cay. Not the best snorkeling of the trip, but worth the easy hike. On St. John, you can find yourself on a beach with few other people, which we really like. No crowds. No noise. Just nature.